Community members participate in the proclamation ceremony during the April 14 Flagstaff City Council meeting. Photo courtesy of First Things First.
First Things First recently teamed with the Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children (AzAEYC) to celebrate the Week of the Young Child, which highlights the importance of early learning and the educators who support the positive development of young children.
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“(April 14) the Week of the Young Child proclamation was read at the Flagstaff City Council meeting, recognizing the importance of the early years and their impact on lifelong success,” said Pearl Santillan of First Things First.
“Our PPO Shawn Soumilas, shared powerful remarks highlighting that nearly 4,000 young children in Flagstaff are in their most critical years of development and how access to affordable, reliable child care is directly tied to workforce stability, education, and the overall strength of our community.
“I had the opportunity to briefly close by grounding the moment in the people behind this work recognizing the providers, families, and partners who show up every day to support young children across our region.
“We were proud to stand alongside our Regional Partnership Council members, staff, community partners, and Rebecca Cirzan’s son, Hayden, who even joined me at the podium, a sweet reminder of who this work is ultimately for. Grateful to be part of this work and this community.”
The week, April 11-16, is hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The celebration is designed to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.
As a part of the recognition, FTF staff collected almost 4 dozen proclamations from cities, towns, counties and other public entities in Arizona to proclaim the importance of early childhood education to the community and statewide leaders.